


off to an awkward start

by annadavidson



Series: that which shaped the century (a dragon age dual au) [21]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Dragon Age AU, Dragon Age Dual AU, Dragon Age Prompt Exchange, Dual AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 09:05:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12105348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annadavidson/pseuds/annadavidson
Summary: Cullen wasn’t sure what he’d done to make Galen dislike him.Prompt: Cullen meets the Herald for the first time and it's not quite how the stories tell it - he only wishes it had been that simple.





	off to an awkward start

Cullen wasn’t sure what he’d done to make Galen dislike him. Now the young Herald hadn’t actually  _said_  he disliked him, but he clearly avoided him. He’d met the other Herald – Galen’s half-sister, Aya – after the Conclave explosion, when she’d arrived to charge with him and the soldiers. Galen had gone up the mountain to search for the scouts that had gone missing. He’d first met Galen at Haven, when he’d been formally introduced along with Josephine and Leliana.

They’d made eye contact once during that meeting, and Galen’s ears had instantly lowered and he’d quickly looked away, moving to stand closer to Aya as if for some kind of protection. After that, they hadn’t had a moment alone together. Galen always stood a few feet away from him and never quite looked relaxed when he was around.

Cullen couldn’t think of anything he’d done to make the Herald afraid of him so he’d come to the conclusion that Galen just didn’t like him. He didn’t expect them to become the best of friends, but they did have to work together.

He was admittedly used to people not wanting to be around him, especially mages. Going from one Circle to another had shown that, and being stationed at Kirkwall’s Circle had emphasized it. He wasn’t sure what  _Dalish_  mages were told about Templars, but he thought that was most likely the reason behind Galen’s behavior. After all, he didn’t expect a mage to like him after, at least after it became known that he was once a Templar. In fact, if he remembered correctly, Galen’s reaction to him had happened  _after_  he’d been informed that the Commander was a former Templar.

He’d brought the issue up to Aya, but she’d insisted that he was wrong and that Galen thought the opposite – that  _Cullen_  didn’t like  _him._

He definitely thought it was because he’d been a Templar and Galen was a mage. He couldn’t think of any other reason. The elf didn’t have any issues with Josephine, Leliana, or Cassandra so he didn’t think it was because he was human. The only humans Galen had any issue with were the ones who whispered racial slurs about him and obviously those who didn’t even bother to whisper them.

So what was Cullen going to do about it? How was he going to clear up this misunderstanding?

He had no clue. That was where Aya came in. She’d offered to meet with him that night, once he’d finished with training and sparring with the recruits. However when he entered the tavern, Aya was nowhere in sight. Instead Galen sat alone at a table, looking uncomfortable. The tavern was uncharacteristically empty aside from the two of them.

Galen noticed him and his ears lowered. Cullen thought he’d earned that reaction from any mage. Even if he hadn’t done anything personal to Galen. He approached the table and a cautious looking Herald.

“I’m uh – I’m meeting Aya,” Galen explained without needing to be asked. Neither of them liked the silence that would often stretch between them. It was always uncomfortable.

“Funny, your sister asked  _me_  to meet her here too,” Cullen admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He knew what was happening. Aya was trying to get him and her brother to sit down and talk. He thought if he sat down, the mage would only get even more uncomfortable, perhaps even get up and leave – wait, no he thought Galen was too kind to just get up and leave, either that or too scared.

Galen was clearly working out what had happened in his head. He frowned. “She lied to us?” He looked up at Cullen. “Why would she do that?”

Cullen found himself shrugging. “My guess is she wants us to talk.”

“About what?”

He hesitated. “May I sit?”

Galen shifted in his seat but nodded.

He sat down and spoke up when it was clear Galen wasn’t going to say anything yet, “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Galen blinked. “I – I never said you make me uncomfortable.”

“Aya said you think I dislike you,” he admitted, “She told me after I confessed I thought  _you_  disliked  _me.”_

Galen stared at him, eyes wide with surprise. He hadn’t known Aya had told the Commander that. She’d insisted to him that Cullen didn’t dislike him, but he’d figured she’d just been trying to cheer him up. He hadn’t known she’d been repeating what the Commander had told her.

“I don’t… dislike you,” he stated awkwardly, “I don’t really  _know_  you. I – I don’t know if you can dislike someone that um – that you don’t know.”

“Do you – do you  _want_  to get to know each other?” Cullen asked, sitting forward, resting his arms against the table, clasping his hands together.

Galen looked away. He fiddled with the fingers of the glove he wore over his Marked hand. “My uh – my clan used to warn me to stay away from Templars… The rogues and warriors were told to look out for Templars, to make sure the clan’s mages were safe. It’s why we lie – I um – I mean that’s why we only keep two mages and send the others to find new clans.”

His fumble made Cullen think the last part might not have been true, even though that was what he’d been told the Dalish did with their mages when they had a First and Second already assigned. Perhaps the Chantry’s knowledge on the Dalish was outdated, if it was ever correct to begin with.

“We’re not told nice stories about Templars,” Galen continued, though he was hesitant. He looked like he expected Cullen to interrupt him, though the Commander wasn’t sure why. “When I – When I got my magic, I was often told to never stray from where we camped. I got in trouble when I would sneak away with a – a  _friend._  My parents were always worried that we could never get far enough away from humans. They… They were afraid Templars would find me and take me away.”

Cullen found himself nodding slowly. He’d heard about Dalish mages being taken to Circles by Templars. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen it happen – he’d seen a lot happen – but he didn’t doubt that the stories Galen had been told held at least  _some_  truth.

“I never met a Templar until I met you,” Galen admitted, “Um if you – if you count? You’re not longer with the Order, I – I don’t know if meeting you still counts then…”

Cullen forced out a chuckle that turned into a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “When we met, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Galen was shaking his head. “I – I was more scared of the  _stories._  I never really knew if I should be afraid of the actual  _people.”_

He thought of the mages he’d known – those in Ferelden and those in Kirkwall. He thought of what their fears had pushed many mages to. He thought of the horrible things that Templars’ fear of mages and magic had pushed  _them_  to do. Fear often didn’t help.

“I would advise being cautious,” he said, earning Galen’s attention, which had wandered to the elf’s gloved hand. “Fear… It makes people desperate.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” the Herald said apologetically, “You seem nice. Aya really likes you.”

Cullen felt his face heat up. “I… Well I – I like her too… I mean she’s good company–”

Galen smiled. “I think she’d like to hear that.”

Cullen cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Galen’s ears lowered again and his demeanor turned shy. “Would you – Would you like to start over?”

Cullen found himself smiling softly. “I’d like that.”

Galen reached forward with his non-Marked hand, smiling shyly. “Hi, I’m Galen. Apparently I’m some sort of Herald.”

Cullen took Galen’s hand in his own and gently shook it. “Cullen and somehow I’ve become the Inquisition’s Commander.”

Galen lightly laughed and Cullen found himself laughing along with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Like/reblog on Tumblr [here](http://magicrobins.tumblr.com/post/165388629190/off-to-an-awkward-start).


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